Horse-boot.



I. R. & L. H. DAVIS.

' HORSE BOOT.

APPLIOATION I'ILED JAN. 16, 1911.

Patented June 27, 1911.

Inventor Z9 At corneys FRANK R. DAVIS AND LEONARD H. DAVIS, OFWASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA,

ASSIGNORS 0F ONE-HALF TO ELWOOD W. MGINTIRE, OF

OF COLUMBIA.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT HORSE-BOOT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

Application filed January 16, 1911. Serial No. 602,971.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK R. DAVIS and LEONARD H. DAVIS, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Washington, in the DB- trict of Columbia,have invented a new and useful Horse-Boot, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to farriery, and more especially to horse boots;and the object of the same is to produce a boot or over-shoe whichitself carries the calks and means for detachably holding the latter inthe boot.

To this end the invention consists in the details of constructionhereinafter more fully described and claimed, and shown in the drawingswherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved boot in place on thehorses hoof which latter is shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal section of the boot, with the hoof in full lines. Fig. 3 isa plan view. Fig. 4 is a detail of one of the calks in the form in whichwe prefer to make them.

In the drawings the letter H designates the hoof of the horse, and S isthe shoe which is usually attached thereto by nails N, while C are thecalks which it is desirable to ap ply to the shoe in slippery weather.These are sometimes detachably attached thereto, but more commonly it isthe practice to form them as integral parts of the shoe itself. We layno claim in this case to the specific shape of the calk, further than asit coacts with the boot and the calk-retaining means, for it will beclear that almost any form of calk might be employed so long as it hasan enlarged head.

Coming now more particularly to the present invention, the body 5 of ourboot is by preference formed in the shape of a horse shoe whose rearends are connected by a cross bar 6, and both body and bar are bypreference flat on their upper and lower faces and as thick as may benecessary for the strength required. Vertically through the body atproper intervals are formed holes 7, herein shown as rectangular inshape in order to accommodate the shanks 8 of the calks C illustrated inFig. 4, and these calks have enlarged heads 9 which preferably followthe contour of the shanks and have fiat upper faces, while the points 10of the calks are sharpened as shown or in any approved way. It will beobvious that calks of this type may be dropped through the holes in thebody 5, and if they are properly made they will fit removably thereinand will be supported in place by the projecting edges of their heads 9which rest upon the upper face of the body around its holes 7, while thepoints 10 of the oalks project downward beyond the lower face of thebody. With this body we use a retaining device consisting of apreferably fiat late 11 conforming in contour with that of the body andhaving its front end formed with a key-hole opening 12. around which thematerial of the plate is depressed as shown at 13.

The numeral 14 designates a headed stud, such as a rivet, screw, or boltrising from the body 5 preferably at its front end; and 15 is a boltpreferably passing upward through the center of the cross bar 6 andreceiving a nut 16 on its upper end. In putting the retaining plate inplace, its keyhole slot or opening 12 is passed over the stud 14 and thesmall end thereof engaged under the head of such stud; this motionbringing the plate to the rear so that a hole properly formed thereincan be dropped over the bolt 15, after which the nut 16 is applied andscrewed home. It is to be understood that this retaining device is thusapplied in order to bear upon the heads 9 of the calks C to hold them inthe holes 7 in the body 5, but when they are to be removed as forsharpening or repair, the retaining device is first removed and then thecalks lifted out of place and repaired or replaced by others.

To also claim novelty for the specific construction of the meansemployed for bold ing this improved boot upon the hoof. At each side ofthe body 5 we form an upstanding ear 20 preferably inclined to the frontand through this car is a slot 21 to receive a strap 22 which passesobliquely forward and upward over the inclined front part of the hoofand is looped back upon itself and its extremities connected by a buckle23. At each side of the body 5 and near its rear end we form anupstanding lug 24 provided with a number of holes 25 and pivoted inthese holes as by rivets or bolts 26 are links 27 themselves having aseries of holes 28. Through a pair of the latter passes a long rod 29whose extremities are threaded to receive nuts 30 preferably disposedoutside the links 27, and upon this rod between said links is disposed acushion 81 here illustrated as a rubber tube. It will thus be seen thatthe pivot bolts 26 can be adjusted into any pair of the holes 25 toraise or lower the inner ends of the links 27 and the long rod 29 can beadjusted into any pair of the holes 28 so as to lengthen or shorten itsdistance from the pivot; and these means are convenient for adapting thedevice to hoofs of different shapes and to horse shoes of differentthicknesses.

From this description it will be obvious that our invention consists ofa horse boot having means for detachably retaining the calks, and meansfor permitting its detachable connection with the hoof and the horseshoe. The insertion and removal of the calks has already been explained.To apply the boot to the hoof, it is slipped over the latter from thefront so that the plate passes beneath the horse shoe, the links 27being at this time deflected to the rear into a nearly or quitehorizontal position. When the boot has been moved to the rear until thelinks can be swung upward around their pivots 26, the cushioned rod 29is raised and passed over the rear ends of the horse shoe, where itshould fit closely in place. In order to make it fit, the pivot bolts 26may be adjusted in the holes 25, or the long rod 29 may be adjusted inthe holes 28, or both; but the purpose is that the rod with its cushion31 shall swing close over the rear ends of the horse shoe. After it hasbeen swung into place, the strap is tightened by means of the buckle 23,and the tension so set up draws the entire device forward slightlybeneath the horse shoe S and the rod is borne in under the heels of thehoof although the latter are not injured by reason of the presence ofthe cushion 31. In order to remove the boot from the shoe, the operation is reversed by first loosening the buckle 23, and then sliding theentire device to the rear.

The utility of such a horse boot is obvious. It can be quickly appliedto the hoofs of a horse who is smooth shod, and as quickly removed whenthe season of ice weather is past. In latitudes where ice and snowprevail for a considerable period, the boots are removed from time totime, and the retaining plates are lifted out of place so that the calksC can be replaced by others which have been sharpened, after which theretaining plate is replaced and the entire boot reattached to the hoof.

hat is claimed as new is 1. In a horse boot, the combination with thebody conforming with the shape of the horse shoe and adapted to standbeneath it, slotted cars at the sides of said body inclining forward,and upright lugs rising from the sides of the said body near its rearend and each provided with a series of holes; of a strap and buckleconnecting the slots in said ears, a pair of links adjustably pivoted attheir inner ends in a pair of said holes, and a cushioned rod connectingsaid links and adapted to swing over the rear end of the horse shoe.

2. In a horse boot, the combination with the body conforming with theshape of the horse shoe and adapted to stand beneath it, slotted ears atthe sides of said body inclining forward, and upright lugs rising fromthe sides of the said body near its rear end and each provided with aseries of holes; of a strap and buckle connecting the slots in saidears; a pair of links each havingaseries of holes in its body, a boltpassing through the inner end of each link and into one of the holes inthe lug at that side of the body, and a long rod having threadedextremities passing through a pair of the holes in said links andreceiving nuts on its outer ends, the rod adapted to swing over the rearend of the horse shoe.

3. In a horse boot, the combination with a horse-shoe shaped body havingrectangular upright openings through it, a crossbar connecting its rearextremities, lugs and ears rising from it, an adjustable strapconnecting the ears and adapted to pass over the forward portion of thehoof, links pivoted to said lugs, and a rod connecting the links andadapted to pass over the rear of the horse shoe; of calks whose shanksare adapted to .fit said openings, whose points are sharpened, and whoseupper extremities are headed and flat, a retaining plate conforming withthe contour of the body and shoe and adapted to rest upon said head,said plate having a keyhole opening near its forward end, a headed studrising from the body and removably engaging said open ing, and a boltpassing through said cross bar and the rear of the plate.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses. FRANK R. DAVIS.LEONARD H. DAVIS. V Witnesses:

N. L. COLLAMER, F. B. OCHSENREITER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

